The present invention relates to a speed control pole for providing a skater, in particular an in-line or roller blade skater, with improved braking ability and an improved ability to ascend hills.
In-line or roller blade skating has become a popular form of exercise. People using in-line skates are easily able to achieve relatively high speeds, particularly when descending hills. Most in-line skates come with a braking system. Typically, the braking system consists of a brake pad on the heel of one skate. In order to move the brake pad into frictional engagement with the skating surface, the skater must bend one leg, shift body weight to that leg, and thrust the braking leg forward while canting the heel downwards to bring the brake pad into contact with the skating surface. This is an awkward maneuver which is difficult to learn and perform, especially if the skating surface is rough or uneven. Consequently, stopping is difficult and is a factor in the majority of injuries resulting from in-line skating.
A number of devices have been invented to improve the ability of a skater to stop and/or to provide the skater with greater stability. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,312,135 to Karabees; 5,653,468 to Ostapyk; and 5,687,991 to Gairdner illustrate some of these devices. The Karabees patent illustrates an elongated shaft adapted to be held manually by a skater and to be used as a balance beam as well as a braking device. The shaft has a roller on at least one end, which roller is adapted to be biased against a skating surface. The shaft also includes a brake mechanism located intermediate the ends of the shaft. The brake mechanism is controllable by the skater for braking rotation of the roller.
The Ostapyk patent illustrates another device which is intended to be used as a stabilizing beam as well as a braking device. The device has a first end which supports a brake pad for stopping a skater. A second end of the beam detachably retains an insert for supporting an implement useful for stabilizing the skater. The implement may be another brake pad, a free turning wheel or a hockey stick blade.
The Gairdner patent illustrates a device for braking a skater. This device comprises an elongated shaft having an arm clamp attached at its upper end to grip a skater's arm and a wheel rotatably connected to its lower end. A hand grip and a braking handle are located near the upper end of the shaft and can be grasped by the skater's hand to activate a wheel braking mechanism. In use, the shaft is attached to the skater's arm and extends forwardly and downwardly from the arm, so that when braking is to occur, the skater triangulates forwardly onto the shaft which supports the skater's weight against falling and provides braking.
While these devices are helpful in providing skaters with improved braking capability and balance, they are difficult to use, particularly for the beginner skater. Further, they really do not address the needs for providing skaters with an improved ability to ascend or climb hills.
Devices in the nature of ski poles also are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,524 to Cooney illustrates one such pole which is intended to for use by walkers, joggers and runners. The pole has a frame with a handgrip and a foot thereon. The foot is designed for ground and other supporting surface contact and for the provision of a rocking motion to the frame.
It has been suggested that poles of these nature can be adapted for use by roller skaters. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,710 to Chirtel et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,222 to Fletcher, as well as U.S. Design Pat. No. 262,646 to Mace, illustrate ski poles which have been adapted for use by in-line or roller skaters. The Mace pole is relatively simple in design and consists of a pole having a handgrip at one end and a pad at the other end. The Chirtel et al. pole has a similar construction. The Fletcher pole device has an elongated shaft with a handle portion on one end and a foot portion on the other end. First and second pads are mounted in the foot portion. The first pad is constructed of a type adapted to frictionally grip the skate surface so that the skater may exert a thrusting motion with the skate pole. The material forming the first pad may be a stiff, yet resilient, rubber-like substance such as a soft thermoplastic. The second pad is constructed of a different type of material, such as a hard thermoplastic, that is adapted to act as a brake pad against the skate surface so that the skater may apply a drag force.
Despite the existence of these devices, there remains a need for a pole which allows an in-line skater to have improved braking ability when descending hills and an improved ability to climb hills.